Photo 72
Kate Jordahl
Foothill College
Composition: The Language of Photography
Guides to effective Composition
It has been said many times that rules are made to be broken. Perhaps that is why evaluating a
photograph by the “rules” of composition is so difficult. Nevertheless, in the beginning of your
compositional explorations, it is useful to follow some basic guidelines. These guidelines
emphasize the importance of creating images that have a "visual impact” on the viewer. Being
aware of these guides will help you strengthen your photographic skills and make your
photographs have more impact.
1. Create a sense of depth, enabling the viewer to visually travel through your image. Do this by
including a foreground, middle ground and background in your composition.
2. Use contrast and tonal values to give a "sense of light" and drama in order to emphasize the
important subject(s). This will convey your message, and make your image more visually
interesting.
3. Balance strong compositional elements in the frame; be aware of the entire area within the
viewfinder. The edges of the viewfinder are the first four elements in every picture. Be aware of
these lines and use them to strengthen your composition.
4. Focus your viewer's eye on the main subject by framing it with the secondary subject matter
and placing it in a power point of the frame.
Photography is a means of expression with endless interpretations. Axel Bruck, author of
“Practical Composition in Photography” calls photography an "optical language." Composition,
Bruck maintains, is the grammar of this language; the very structure by which significant
statements can be made in the language of photography. *
Rule of Thirds or Golden Mean
One of the first guides to dynamic photographs is the rule of thirds. When the frame is divided
into thirds vertically and horizontally, a more dynamic composition is created. The power points
in a photograph are the areas in which the horizontal and vertical grids intersect when the frame is
divided in such a manner. Subject(s) placed on these power points will have great visual impact.
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Photo 72
Foothill College
Kate Jordahl
Leading Lines
Different objects in the frame can be used to "lead" the viewer into your space and give a
sense of space. Fences, trails, sidewalks are all good examples of objects that can serve to lead
your viewer's eyes through the frame.
Kate Jordahl, Tuolumne Grove, Yosemite (Leading lines and rules of thirds)
Foreground, middle ground, background
This is one of the most dependable and exciting ways to create depth in your images. The
illusion of depth will give your viewer a sense of the space as it really was in the world. To
photograph foreground, middle ground, and background start by finding objects in each of these
areas, and photographing them in dynamic relationship. Your pictures will be more visual
interesting and exciting.
Kate Jordahl, Angkor Wat, View, Cambodia (Foreground, Middleground, Background and framing)
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Photo 72
Foothill College
Kate Jordahl
Contrast
Use contrast and tonal values to give a "sense of light" and drama in order to emphasize the
important subject. This will convey your message, and make your image more visually
interesting. Keep in mind the usefulness of both value and color contrast. Color contrast comes
from the relationship between colors like yellow and blue or red and green. Value contrast comes
from light/dark difference. Each will have a different effect on your pictures.
Edge tension
Be aware of the edges of your frame. The use of the edge of the image area to create a sense
that the world goes on beyond the picture can be very effective. Unwanted items peeking in to the
corners can wreak an otherwise powerful composition and the energy between your object and the
images edge is also a powerful compositional tool.
Repeating shapes and lines
Any shapes or lines that repeat in the frame will create a rhythm in your pictures. It will also
keep your viewer interested. Look for multiples of shapes in your subject and use them to
energize and shape your photographs.
Kate Jordahl, Entry, Amphitheatre, Arles, France (Contrast, edge tension and repeating shapes) and
Columns and Candles, Reims Cathedral, France (repeating shapes and framing)
Framing
Framing is when an object in the image is used to create an eye-leading border around the
primary visual information. Objects that are useful for framing include branches of trees,
doorways, and archways. Framing is a very good way to keep your viewer’s attention inside the
photograph and on your subject.
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Photo 72
Kate Jordahl
Foothill College
Other tools of composition
Centered vs. “off-center”
Subject matter that is centered in the frame is perceived to be stable, yet objects that are
centered can actually create a tension because all edges of the frame compete equally for a visual
relationship with the subject, When a subject is off-center it forces the entire composition be in
relationship to the main subject. Movement starts to occur within the frame. This would be a
dynamic or kinetic composition and these are often appealing to us. They tend to be active and
exciting.
Dynamic vs. Static
The next elements in composition are about direction of movement. Diagonals and curves
create movement in an image. Verticals and horizontals are more stationary. By assessing the
feeling you want to convey, you could choose to emphasize one or the other of these elements in
your pictures.
Balance vs. Imbalance
Do not assume that balance means centered! Balance is created by visual weight in the frame.
A subject can be at side of the frame yet be “balanced” by another object on the other side.
Imbalance can also be used to throw your viewer off and create a feeling of tension. When it
works, balance or imbalance can be powerful compositional tools.
When does a composition “work?”
This is a complex question. Perhaps the best description is to say that a composition works
when the feeling that the photographer wanted to convey is in alignment with the viewers’
response to the final image. This is not a foolproof test. But, if we are making photographs in
order to communicate, one of our primary measurements can be our success in communicating
with our audience. What other compositional guides do you know? Consider these guides
carefully. Do they help or hinder your pictures? Can you find exceptions to these guidelines that
work? Question, try, explore and speak the language of photography, composition.
Compositional Terminology
Consider the following terminology to help in your growth in seeing composition. Use these
words to talk about your photographs and the photographs you study. Integrating the vocabulary
of compositions can help us grow in our use of effective composition when we are photographing.
Flat space
Texture
Rhythm
Abstract
Active
Flow
Color contrast
Scale
Aggressive
Framing
Lines
Soft light
Symmetry
Asymmetry
Harmony
Mass
Balance
Harsh light
Movement
Triangular shapes
Centered
Horizontal movement Off-centered
Truncated
Circular shapes
Imbalance
Passive
Unity
Value contrast
Imposing
Pattern
Vertical movement
Curves
Leading lines
Perspective
Visual movement
Deep space
Line
Proportion
Weight
Diagonals
Shape
Repeating shapes
Distortion
Value
Repetition
*Bruck, Axel. Practical Composition in Photography. New York: Focal Press 1981.
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